Leopards Pick Up 1st NBC Victory, Keep Lions Winless

Featured Video Play Icon

Louisville 50, Minerva 41

Louisville broke a 37-37 tie with a 13-2 run late in the fourth quarter to pull ahead of Minerva before winning 50-41.  Blake Hoover led Louisville with 13 points and Alex Schooley added 8 to lead the Leopards.

The victory was the Leopards first in conference play this season and snapped a 3-game losing streak.  For the Lions, they remain winless at 0-7, 0-4.

Pavin Parks scored 5 of his 7 points in the first quarter to aid Louisville in taking a 15-8 lead after eight minutes.  Hoover, who scored 8 of his game-high 13 points in the first half, added two Beatty's Winter Hoodiesbuckets in the second quarter that saw the Leps outscore the Lions 13-11.  One of those buckets came just before halftime when Hoover stole a pass and jammed it home to make the score 28-19 Leopards at the break.

Louisville would extend their advantage to 30-21 early on in the second half, but Minerva used a 12-3 run to tie the game at 33-33.  The two teams went back-and-forth and the game remained tied at 37-37 with 4:30 left to play.

Next, baskets by Parks and Schooley helped the Leopards jump ahead 44-38.  Meanwhile, the Leopards defense would hold the Lions scoreless from the field for a span of 5:26.  Ronnie Carter and Drew Noble got swats underneath, while Parks and AJ Minster recorded key steals.  Louisville made 9 of 19 free throws in the final quarter, which was enough to keep the Lions caged.

Carter and Bryce Mathie also each added 7 points for the Leps who improve to 2-5, 1-3 on the season.  Louisville has now defeated Minerva 7 consecutive times.

Don’t forget to Subscribe to Our Posts for Free

Order Individual Player Highlight Video

STATISTICS

LEOPARDS 50, LIONS 41

LIONS: Eyer 5 3-6 13, Locke 4 3-5 11, Clapper 1 3-4 5, Forst 2 1-2 5, Gill 1 0-0 3, Parrish 1 0-0 2, Zeedrich 1 0-0 2.  TOTAL 15 10-17 41.

3-Pointers (1): Gill

Team FT: 10-17 59%

LEOPARDS: Hoover 4 5-6 13, Schooley 2 4-9 8, Parks 3 0-0 7, Mathie 3 1-2 7, Carter 1 2-6 4, Crank 1 0-0 3, Minster 1 1-2 3, Noble 1 1-2 3, Graybeal 1 0-0 2, Hollifield 0 0-2 0.  TOTAL 17 15-29 50.

3-Pointers (2): Crank, Parks

Team FT: 15-29 52%

Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL

Minerva 8-11-12-10–41

Louisville 15-13-5-17–50

Fouls: 18-14 Minerva

Records: Louisville 2-5, 1-3; Minerva 0-7, 0-4

UP NEXT: The Leopards will next host the Ravenna Ravens on Saturday, December 29.  JV will begin at 6 PM and Varsity will follow at approximately 7:30 PM.

VARSITY PICTURES

We love when you use our photos on Facebook! Be sure like our Leopard Nation Fan Page and tag us in the picture description!

JV: Louisville 59, Minerva 27

After clinging to an 8-7 lead at the end of one, the Leopards outscored the Lions 39-4 over the next 15 minutes to build an insurmountable advantage.  Louisville would go on to win the contest 59-27 to improve to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the NBC.

Drew Noble led the Leopards by scoring all of his game-high 13 points in the first half.  Jake Adams also made 2 three-pointers and scored 12 points, while Stephen Kerzan tallied 6 of his 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Louisville outscored Minerva 23-2 in the second quarter to build a 31-9 halftime advantage.  The Leopards also shot 86% (13 of 15) from the foul line to remove all doubt.

The Lions were led by Dakota Hudy with 6 points and Austin Catlett with 5 points.

STATISTICS

LEOPARDS 59, LIONS 27

LIONS: Hudy 2 2-2 6, Catlett 2 0-1 5, Cappelli 0 4-4 4, Stryfeler 2 0-0 4, Myers 1 0-0 3, Wilson 1 0-0 3, Knight 1 0-3 2, Brown 0 0-3 0.  TOTAL 9 6-13 27.

3-Pointers (2): Myers, Wilson

Team FT: 6-13 46%

LEOPARDS: Noble 5 3-4 13, Adams 4 2-2 12, Kerzan 4 1-2 10, Pukys 2 2-2 7, Haren 2 2-2 6, Lairson 3 0-0 6, Mathie 1 1-1 3, Graybeal 0 2-2 2.  TOTAL 21 13-15 59.

3-Pointers (4): Adams (2), Kerzan, Pukys

Team FT: 13-15 86%

Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL

Minerva 7-2-5-13–27

Louisville 8-23-16-12-59

Fouls: 17-15 Louisville

Records: Louisville 4-2, 3-1

JV PICTURES

We love when you use our photos on Facebook! Be sure like our Leopard Nation Fan Page and tag us in the picture description!

You may also like...